Tops Host UTEP in Saturday Night Diddle Matchup

Saturday, February 2

E.A. Diddle Arena

6 p.m.

Western Kentucky University

UTEP

Tickets

2/1/2019 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

WKU Game Notes | UTEP Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball turns the calendar to February with a home game against UTEP at 6 p.m. CT Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.

The Hilltoppers are coming off a 96-88 overtime win over UTSA on Thursday, in which they withstood 46 points from star Roadrunner guard Jhivvan Jackson.

UTEP most recently fell 91-86 at Marshall on Thursday night and is 0-8 on the road this season. WKU is 4-1 all-time against the Miners, including 2-0 in Diddle Arena and two straight overall. Hilltopper head coach Rick Stansbury is 2-0 in his career against UTEP.

GAME 23

UTEP (7-13, 2-7 C-USA) at WKU (12-10, 5-4 C-USA)
February 2, 2019 | 6 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPN+ (Graham Doty and Jeff Younglove, broadcasters)
Live Stats: WKU Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU is 5-3 this season when trailing at halftime and 7-7 when leading at halftime.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 998 straight games dating back to March 15, 1987. WKU entered the season tied with Arkansas for the fourth-longest streak in the nation of consecutive games with a made 3. Only UNLV (1,039), Vanderbilt (1,031) and Duke (1,021) had longer streaks to start the year.
• WKU has had the lead in each of its four conference losses at halftime and led each of those defeats by at least nine points at one point. The Hilltoppers took their first three conference losses by a combined five points and held a lead of at least 15 points in each of those outings. The Hilltoppers had consecutive one-point losses for the first time since 1929-30.
• WKU is one of the youngest teams in the country, ranking 331st of 353 in experience, per Ken Pomeroy.
• Sophomore guard Taveion Hollingsworth could potentially hit 1,000 career points in less than two years. He would be just the third Hilltopper to accomplish that feat, joining Jim McDaniels and Clem Haskins.
• WKU ranks 11th in the country in total blocks and 18th in blocked shots per game, and 20th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.1 blocks per game would be its highest on record. Charles Bassey ranks second in C-USA in blocks per game (2.2).
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey has more blocks himself (48) this year than 50 Division I teams.
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey was tied for fourth in the nation among freshmen in total blocks (48), ranked third in field-goal percentage (65 percent) and second for total rebounds (221).
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 nationally in double-doubles (19th), field-goal percentage (9th), blocks per game (30th), total blocks (20th), rebounds per game (19th), offensive rebounds per game (41st), defensive rebounds per game (30th) and total rebounds (15th).
• In the last four games, Charles Bassey is averaging 17.3 points, 15 rebounds while shooting 69.4 percent from the field and making 19 of 22 free throws (86.4 percent).

TICKETS

WKU Ticket Office: Limited single-game tickets for the UTEP game remain available in person at the WKU Ticket Office, by phone at 1-800-5-BIGRED or online at WKUTickets.com.

PROMOTIONS

• 12th piece of 16-piece 100th season commemorative poster (Jake Ohmer/Darel Carrier) for first 3,000 fans
• WKU softball and baseball teams signing autographs in Hall of Champions at 4:30 p.m.
• Block Cancer Event

LAST GAME AGAINST UTEP: FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Taveion Hollingsworth's hot second-half shooting sparked a comeback for WKU, as the Hilltoppers rallied for a 72-60 win at UTEP. Hollingsworth knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers to score 17 points.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2018-19 WKU Basketball season is presented by Med Center Health. With The Medical Center at its core, Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for more than 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a complete network of immediate to emergency services and services in dozens of specialties. Whether it is emergency treatment for heart attack victims or preventative programs to improve the health of the communities it serves, Med Center Health is committed to providing the highest level of care and service.

How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, follow the team's social media channels, @WKUBasketball on Twitter, @WKUBasketball on Instagram, and WKU Basketball on Facebook.